No adverse action against KCR, Harish Rao on Ghose Commission report till October 7: Telangana High Court

Hyderabad: The Telangana High Court on Tuesday directed the state government not to take any adverse action against former chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao and former minister T Harish Rao based on the findings of the judicial commission on the Kaleshwaram project, till October 7.

The commission, headed by retired Supreme Court judge Justice P C Ghose, submitted its report to the government on July 31, holding Chandrasekhar Rao accountable for alleged irregularities in the project’s construction and other aspects.

In its report, the commission also found fault with Harish Rao, a nephew of KCR and the irrigation minister during the BRS regime. Challenging the report, KCR and Harish Rao approached the court seeking to quash it and subsequently filed interim applications.

After hearing the interim pleas filed by KCR and Harish Rao to restrain the government from initiating any action based on the report following its decision to order CBI inquiry into the alleged irregularities in the construction of Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project during the BRS rule, the court said "no adverse action based upon the findings of the report be taken against the petitioners till next date--October 7".

During the hearing on Tuesday, Advocate General Sudarshan Reddy informed the court that at present, no action taken report, based on the findings of the commission's report, was placed before the Assembly. However, the government was bound to table the action taken report in the Assembly, he further said.

He said based on the report submitted by the National Dam Safety Authority (NDSA) and other material available before the government, the issue (of alleged irregularities in construction and execution of the Kaleshwaram project) was referred to the CBI.

The court, while posting the matter to October 7, directed the government to file a reply to the interim applications and counter affidavit to the main writ petitions.

Speaking in the Legislative Assembly at the end of a short discussion on the judicial commission's report on the Kaleshwaram project, Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy in the wee hours of Monday announced a CBI inquiry.

Revanth Reddy had said it is appropriate to hand over the probe to CBI as inter-state issues, different central and state government departments and agencies are involved in the project.